Speak softly and carry a big stick.
A perfect definition for Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt who’s let his play do the talking since bursting onto the scene with a breakout 2013 season finishing second in the National League MVP race.
He picked up this spring where he left off last fall leading the D-backs in hits, runs, home runs, runs batted in and several other offensive categories.
Some of his teammates last season nicknamed the 6’3, 245-pounder “America’s First Baseman” complete with t-shirts. He recently took the lead among NL first baseman in All-Star voting.
But in this day and age of the ‘me-first’ athlete, the soft-spoken, team-oriented Goldschmidt can get lost in the shuffle.
“In terms of fans…the reason he’s not universally recognized as one of the premiere players is because he is not a ‘look at me guy,’ ESPN baseball insider Pedro Gomez explained to Sports360AZ.com during a recent phone interview. “He is not a ‘put the spotlight on me guy.’ He’s a guy that just wants to do his work.”
Work he does.
Goldschmidt has the ability to beat you at the plate to all fields both with his bat and his mind.
“Baseball people absolutely recognize how good he is,” Gomez said. “What a tremendously discipled hitter he is because it doesn’t matter the count, he changes his approach. If he’s one-and-two he shortens up and you see him shoot the ball to the right side of the field to get on base. He is great at adjusting to the count.”
Don’t expect “Goldy” to change his approach in the clubhouse or between the white lines.
Trust me, nobody’s complaining.
Eric Sorenson
